If the console isn't making money anymore, why not? They'd much rather promote the wiiu than the wii, because let's face it, it isn't exactly priting bills anymore.

Anyways many companies do this to promote their product, you can't tell me you've never seen an ad that shows what their new product has and their old one doesn't through a chart. The chart is also nice for people who aren't really too into gaming that need to know what the difference between a wii and a wiiu is.

since the wii-u came outi tell consumers the same things when i see them pondering the purchase of either. I tell them the better deal is the wii-u because it can do everything the wii can and more.

I would tell people the same thing back when the ps2 first came out. Surprise surprise, there were in fact people who didnt have a ps1 at the time. It made more sense to get the ps2 because it did what the ps1 did and so much more.

Is that wrong to talk up the newest system release? When you look at the benefits you get for the price difference it only makes sense to make the newer one into the better of the two.

It s like people who have not yet gotten a ds would do better to get a 3ds instead. It plays 99% of ds games as well as its own 3ds games.

Nintendo is doing the right thing by comparing their two systems in this ad. But they shouldnt have used "." on the wii side. They should have used the check marks like they did on the wii-u side.

That list didn't make the Wii U very appealing... Shouldn't have compared it side by side with the Wii. ____

@Darth72

My DS Lite can play both DS and GBA games. That's a huge catalog of games. 3DS can't play GBA games and neither did DSi and XL. Which is why I kept my DS Lite.

My older Wii can play both Wii and GameCube games. Newer Wii models and and the Wii U don't. So it doesn't really look like a good deal at the moment. The 3DS on the other hand, is a better deal than the Wii U. I have 5 games already :) I'll just have to wait it out for the Wii U like I did for the 3DS. Hopefully it turns around.

When they bring the adverts it will sell tons,i think they will wait now for the summer update so they can show the OS in real time,also show NintendoTVii ect plus games like Zelda WW and Beyonetta2 ect.

Nintendo (a company who designed a console so risk-averse that even its title is nigh indistinguishable from its money-printing predecessor) failed to make a console distinguishable from one released in 2006. That's what happened, and that's why stuff like this poster exists.

Sure, there's always a bit of "people are stupid" behind every tech misperception, but there's also testing for stuff like that... Focus testing which should have let Nintendo know that a console with the same exact design aesthetic and graphics which mostly improved only in that they're in a higher resolution (so far) won't really stick out as something "new." Families with a CRT TV aren't going to see a giant difference when they see that one TV commercial that should make up their minds about whether or not they want it. It's also a marketing flaw, sure, but it's mostly a design flaw.

I remember correcting someone on N4G that the WiiU *was* a new console and not an add-on. The guy chased me around in private messages and such. It was hilarious, but at the end of the day, it wasn't his fault. He wasn't the only one.

@MoveTheGlow "Nintendo (a company who designed a console so risk-averse that even its title is nigh indistinguishable from its money-printing predecessor) failed to make a console distinguishable from one released in 2006."

Hold on a second here. Companies market brands that sell. If Nintendo are so "risk-averse" for naming their console after their previous iteration; what exactly does that make Sony and Microsoft? Think about it for a moment. The Playstation brand has been here since 1994 and has the name has been used in various iterations of their consoles from Playstation to Playstation 4. It has also been used for their handheld iterations with Playstation Portable, Playstation Mobile, and Playstation Vita. Microsoft also didn't drop the Xbox name and have used it for the 360 and will probably use it for their next iteration; so it's normal practice for companies to put forth an iteration that has the same name in it.

The biggest problem that Nintendo has with the Wii U is a distinct lack of marketing. Nintendo have probably realised that the excrement has hit the fan and the industry is on the verge of a great upheaval.

I can roll with that, @MacDonagh, but Nintendo did have a precedent for not doing that until now. The closest they got on home consoles was putting "Super" before Nintendo, but that actually defines a difference between the two: the hardware was substantially different, as was evident in their first Mario release for the system.

The sudden shift in naming conventions underlies a much bigger amount of risk-aversion in the *design* of the console. Each new console from Nintendo looked staggeringly different - they relished that newness, that attractiveness to the design, and took some risks (albeit silly ones sometimes, like the lunchbox handle on the Gamecube).

This thing looks like a Wii.

The rest of the response stands. Until Nintendo can show the non-tech-savvy public - often not having broadband access, often without an HDTV, or at least one that's used for gaming - that there's a big difference between the output of each system (and yes, that does include more marketing to let someone know that the controller on the WiiU couldn't work on the Wii, because that controller uses the enhanced power of the system - true!), they're up the creek with what they've already released in terms of confusion.

I have a feeling that will change. I bet Nintendo will bring out their big guns by this year's E3, and finally the non-enthusiast crowd will really see what a difference the WiiU makes when it comes to the main franchises (non-New SMB, Zelda, Metroid possibly).

But for now, this is a box issue. The current box, and the games that are currently released for that box, are nothing new to people who are not... *looks around...* us.

It's not trashing its own console, it's showing the differences between the two. A lot of people think the Wii U is an add-on to the Wii. This charts explains to them that it's a different console entirely.

"LOL, how are you supposed to make money" ...Yeah, I don't think Nintendo need help in that department.

It seems to me that they are just targeting the same market that the Wii had and showing reasons they should upgrade. Unfortunately unless they advertise in venues that are not gaming related, I doubt a lot of the Wii owners will ever know the differences. I doubt most Wii owners even know what PAX is.

this print-out is for the stupid people who aren't in the know. I work at Best Buy, and TRUST me, there are some absolutely clueless consumers out there. Today, I had to explain to a lady the difference between a Blu-ray (which she kept calling 'Bluray DVD')and a DVD. She would NOT get that a Bluray cannot work in her DVD player. I was getting pretty frustrated with her.

and this is also Nintendo's fault as well, because of the name they chose. I get customers that are buying Wii U games at my check out, and when I try to make conversation with them like "oh you have a Wii U? me too, do you like the gamepad?" they'll have no idea what a Wii U is, and wonder why the blue boxed games won't work with the SDWii they already own. It can get pretty frustrating. Nintendo should've called it Wii2 or WiiHD.

I think this will only be a problem for a little while though, once Nintendo get off their collective ass and start marketing the hell out of Wii U like they should be doing. Because I had the same issue with the 3DS being named so similar to the DSi. Uninformed customers simply would not comprehend the difference between the two, even though it's so easy to understand for you and I.

When you release a console called "Wii", name a lot of games "Wii ________", name all the accessories "Wii _________" and then release a console called "Wii U", you really are asking for trouble with confusion with the mainstream audience.

It's a derp on their marketing, mostly. The Wii name is currently the most successful brand for Nintendo, so from a marketing standpoint it makes sense to reuse somehow. Unfortunately simply adding "U" did not make it seem different enough.

The blue that you see on Wii U products are a stark contrast from the original Wii's simple white and grey scheme. The Wii U itself is very different from the Wii. It's name unfortunately isn't.

I would've preferred NESHD. that would've been COOL. After all, the Wii U IS an entertainment system; it has Hulu, Netflix, Youtube, a web browser, and can play games.

It would've made much more sense and would've also struck a nostalgic chord with the older Nintendo gamer like myself. Plus the NES was a wildly popular machine and still stands as one of the highest selling consoles of all time.

People would've instantly understood what it was without having to explain much.

That is exactly why so many people left that E3 a couple years ago with more questions than they had going in. Some even thought it was an add-on peripheral for the Wii. The lack of games might not even be the biggest obstacle for Nintendo right now in the bigger picture.

This was the problem from the moment they unveiled the controller at E3. We left that show not knowing if it was an accessory or a new console. And in the following months they didn't do any better job explaining it.

Then naming it the WiiU made it even More confusing, because it doesn't show any definite of a system change like Wii2 or even an all new name would've been. This system suffers from Horrible marketing. Lack of games is an issue too, as it is with any new console. But I believe it is the marketing that is crippling it the most.

Like many of us said prior to release. Wiiu would be underwhelming and nothing over current gen. Besides tht sane established ops over and over with nothing new and inspiring doesn't help. Then idiots like Iwata and Reggie making dumb comments alluding to the next Ps or xbox not bring that much better than Wiiu graphically just made the m look stupider and weak. Many thing their doing wrong.

It's a good idea to advertise it this way at Pax to remind game-loving folk how awesome it is - the ticked list should just read 'can it play Bayonetta 2 / Pikmin 3 / Wonderful 101 / Fire Emblem?' etc.

Also, the complaints about the name of the console are nonsense. I think Sony has been the only company so unoriginal as to name their systems numerically.. sure it worked, so did Master System -> Mega Drive, Xbox -> Xbox 360 etc. Wii U is a good name, I like it. Good job Nintendo.

I really think Nintendo should ditch the name Wii U, in fact they should just scrap the system and start again. The whole "weak tech/crazy gimmick" thing isn't going to work this time like it did with the wii.

No Wii U owners would want that to happen. Imagine waiting ever so patiently for Nintendo to release some games for the system, then finding out you have to buy another console if you want to play them.

The name was a mistake, a lot of people thinks that the WiiU is the tablet, an innecesary and expensive accesory. Also the games, new super mario Bross is almost the same version of Wii and 3DS with only a little more of resolution, with the days the WiiU is sinking and Nintendo needs to release games like Zelda, Metroid and new Ip's, improve the Online and return to the greats and innovative games like Wii Sports. The clock is ticking.

Reminds me of the flyer comparison Sony did back for the PS3 vs 360. the difference there was that was a comparison that made some sense. Nintendo needing to make this comparison just shows how badly they have done in marketing the new console.

No offense, but if you make a comparison to Nintendo now to Sega when the Dreamcast died, you really have no idea what you're talking about. Sega was losing money for YEARS before the Dreamcast even launched, they were a sinking ship and had no choice but to bail out of the hardware business. But Nintendo is different, the DS is the best selling system of all time and the Wii while it fell off the last few years still made Nintendo a huge profit. Even though they've been losing money for the past year or so they are NOWHERE near the dire situation Sega was, they still have billions in the bank. The Wii U can be a flop and they'll still be more financially stable Sega was near the end of the Dreamcast. That being said I do agree Nintendo needs to get their head out of their ass and advertise the damn system, but the Sega comparisons are totally unfounded and besides, Nintendo (or any of the big three) going developer only will only hurt the industry. Competition drives success.

You realize that Sega's situation was worse than anything Nintendo's seen, right? Sega only had 1 big success in the console business, the Genesis/Mega Drive. Sega was driving themselves into the ground with the Sega CD, 32X, and Saturn.

Theyre definitely going after the casual crowd or they wouldn't bother putting up a comparison like that.. The wii was a freak luck success & they dont seem to understand that.. They need to focus on taking care of their fans & core gamers because the casual market IS'NT buying into it this time.. They think having a sign like that up is going to make wii owners that dont know too much about gaming upgrade? smh

Boggles my mind, come on Nintendo...I have been waiting for you guys to join the throngs of, I have to say it-main stream gaming, for a long time. You guys were my first console, second and third with the nes, snes, n64, and i picked up a gamecube. You guys have continued to decline and this ad is evidence enough of that. Maybe I will buy a wii U for the heck of it sometime after Christmas if I believe the price is right. I believe Nintendo has what it takes, BUT, I think they are trying to be too different. When you try to cover up something horrible, what you use to cover up with will collapse indeed.

Don't alot of companies do this for their products?... Of course I would never know the difference between iphones (they're basically the same...), but apparently a lot of people don't know the difference between wii and wii u...

I don't see what the big deal is, or where the confusion Is. Wii u is a new console and wii is old. Any jackass can see that. I don't get the hate....if you think you are better at marketing then nintendo, if any of you can do a better job I an sure nintendo would give you a job.

First : Nintendo has a few billion dollars to burn and Sega was basically broke after the disastrous Sega CD / 32X / Saturn years.

Secondly : from a gamers point of view The Sega Dreamcast is a very respected hardcore gaming machine that had what many gamers consider to be the greatest launch line up of all time - a better than arcade port of Soul Calibur ? yes please.

What did the Wii U launch with ? Nintendo land and Super Mario Bros. U ? OK one is a good game.

As many others have stated the Wii U is basically unknown by the casuals that helped make the Wii a success and the Wii U does not have the support of hardcore gamers either.

People don't seem to realize that Nintendo don't need to sell 100 million Wii U's to be success. They only sold over 20+ million gamecubes and they still made a profit. So even if only Nintendo fans bought a Wii U Nintendo would be fine. And like you said, Nintendo are already swimming with their billions in the bank.

If that was the case, Nintendo would have made the Wii as an HD console which they didn't, most of the profits Nintendo made last generation came from the Gameboy Advance, they barely made money with the GC. That's why Nintendo made a lot of price cuts on that console, btw, if it wasn't for the success of the GBA, Nintendo would have being in trouble with the GC alone.

Okay they finally explained the differences between the 2 congratulations, unfortunately that means next to nothing if it doesn't explain why the wii u's features should appeal to the mainstream tablet smartphone user.

This is like a list you would expect at a e3 conference, it still tells non gamers very little useful information, it doesn't sell any of the wii u's unique features.

"So were does that leave the Wii U ?" Lost and buried by ps4/720 hype at e3.

Somewhere between a n64 to a gamecube, it might do a little better, if sony and ms gamers snag one for mario, zelda, metroid ect.

Likely 25-30 million by the end of its life, but not significantly higher i think, unless they get lucky again.